Payroll Specialist Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

By | September 1, 2023
Payroll Specialist job description, duties, tasks, and responsibilities
Payroll Specialists ensure that staff are promptly paid for the work done. Image source: Paytech.com

This post provides complete information on the job description of a payroll specialist, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that they do.

What Does a Payroll Specialist Do?

The payroll specialist assembles the payroll and time data for organizations.

Payroll specialists work in offices where their job description involves utilizing spreadsheets and other administrative programs to ensure that staff members are remunerated for the number of hours they work.

The payroll specialist will guarantee the accuracy of hours worked and ensures that checks are cut precisely with the prompt payment made to employees.

He/she will conventionally design data for accountants and other financial experts during periods of financial evaluation or tax time.

The specialist may be required to estimate modifications to pay rates on the basis of overtime, time off etc. He/she will offer support to the payroll manager to guarantee veracity of data entry.

He/she will also be responsible for assisting employees in understanding issues with their paychecks and any modifications that may happen.

He/she gathers information from diverse sources and functions with many pay scales and employees in ensuring they are well organized.

The individual in this role will frequently connect with clients and must therefore possess a functional knowledge of procedures and practices in a fairly large payroll environment.

Payroll specialists are members of the finance team that will guarantee precise processing and computing of the organization’s payroll and offer prompt and precise financial information.

Their role will also involve payroll data entry and processing on a daily basis.

This position will have effect on a rapidly developing organization and renders career development possibilities for the suitable candidate.

The specialist in charge of payroll will also be accountable for well timed and meticulous processing of payroll for union, non-union, exempt and nonexempt executives, personnel and student staff, by making use of attendance, time and automatic payroll structure.

His/her duties will involve but not restricted to intricate calculations of department specialization payments, car allowances, wage garnishments, retro and overtime.

Payroll Specialist Job Description Sample/Example/Template

To be successful in the role of a payroll specialist, the typical candidate for this position must be able to carry out the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities outlined in the sample job description below:

  • Carry out payroll department transactions on a daily basis
  • Handle workflow to guarantee all payroll operations are precisely and promptly worked on
  • Harmonize payroll before transmitting and verifying authenticated reports
  • Work on accurate garnishments adherence and calculations
  • Implement attendance and time processing and interconnect with payroll
  • Perform agreements for all unclaimed property payroll checks
  • Work on all time data entry and evaluation for accuracy and completeness of regular time, vacation payout, salary, leave of absence, overtime, retirements, severance payments and retro
  • Print out and forward checks or pay statements, operate departmental reports and organize employee records following government regulations
  • Render assistance in assembling payroll data for staff compensation payroll audit every year
  • Have respect for and maintain privacy parameters of operations, professional protocols and personal confidentiality
  • Participate in all fundamental and external discussions in relation to payroll whenever the payroll manager is absent

Payroll Specialist Job Description for Resume

A resume needed for seeking a job as payroll specialist can be created using information from the job description example above.

Payroll Specialist Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for Career Success

The following knowledge, skills and talents are mandatory for the payroll specialist to have to be effective on the job.

  • An associate degree in human resources, business administration or affiliated area of experience
  • A working knowledge of applicable government regulations with leading edge understanding and familiarity with MS Office package, especially the use of Excel
  • Practical experience with hourly, salaried union and non-union payroll
  • Dexterity in handling intricate projects all at the same time while functioning well under pressure to attain deadlines
  • Strong project management, detailed-oriented, organizational and time management skills